Raw vs graded cards

A raw card is a loose card, in a sleeve or a toploader or a binder. A graded card has been checked and scored by a grading company and sealed in a hard plastic case, called a slab, with a label that names the card and its grade.

What grading companies do

Companies such as PSA, CGC, BGS and TAG look at a card to confirm it is real, then score its condition: centering, corners, edges and surface. The score is printed on the label along with a certification number you can look up on the company's website.

Most graders score from 1 to 10, and some use half points in between. A few also have a special top grade above a normal 10, such as a BGS Black Label or a CGC Pristine 10. Each company has its own scale and its own standards, so a 9 from one company and a 9 from another are not automatically the same thing.

How raw condition is described

Raw cards have no score on them, so people describe condition in words instead. Near Mint means the card looks almost new. Lightly Played, Moderately Played and Heavily Played describe more and more wear, and Damaged covers creases, tears and water marks. Two people can look at the same card and disagree by a step, which is one reason slabs exist.

Why they sell for different amounts

A slab and a raw copy of the same card are bought by different people for different reasons, so they are really two separate markets. The graded price is not the raw price plus a fee. It reflects what buyers pay for a condition somebody else has already checked and certified.

Grades are far apart from each other too. On many cards a 10 sells for much more than a 9 of the same card, and a lower grade can sell for close to the raw price.

Comparing them fairly in a trade

• Price a slab from sales of the same grade, from the same company. Not from raw sales, and not from a different grade.
• Price a raw card from raw sales. A raw card is not a 10 waiting to happen. Pricing it as if it will grade well is the most expensive mistake in a mixed trade.
• Check the cert number on any slab. How to spot a fake PSA slab covers what to look for.

Should a card be graded?

That depends on the card, its condition and what grading costs on the day you send it, and it is a choice only the owner can make. When grading pays walks through the arithmetic.